


Speculation and Definites

by gingayellow



Category: Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 21:31:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3090887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/pseuds/gingayellow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young grad student doing summer work at Mariner Bay meets, and dates, a Power Ranger at a crossroads. [Hayley/Kelsey, takes place post-LR, spoilers apply]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Speculation and Definites

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PockySquirrel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PockySquirrel/gifts).



Notes: This takes place before PRDT but after PRLR, so spoilers for the latter apply. Written for PockySquirrel, I hop you like it!

\--

Hayley felt like an unwanted houseguest.

Which was foolish, of course. She had been invited by Angela Fairweather herself to help get the Lightspeed Aquabase back into working condition. She had been cleared for access, and even had her own dorm. But here she was, eating lunch alone, with no one looking friendly enough to approach.

And here she thought that she had left her awkward high school days behind her. It looked like they extended well into graduate school as well. 

Hayley frowned down as her notes. It wasn’t like she needed friends—she was just here for the summer, working on her thesis. And she really was too busy with work and school. At least this way she could focus—

“Is this seat taken?”

“Um, no.” Hayley did her best to regain her composure as a young woman in a yellow tank top and bike shorts practically bounded into the opposite chair.

“I’m Kelsey!” The woman said before Hayley could get a word. “Ya know, in case you’re curious about the weird woman who’s eating lunch with you.” Kelsey took a bite out of her apple.

“I’m Hayley.” She set aside her notes for now… except Kelsey was trying to read them. “Oh, I’m working fixing the circuits on the Rescue Bikes. Seeing if I can get them to work more smoothly.”

“Awesome!” 

Hayley was used to praise for her academic work, but this wasn’t like usual—there was no _wow, I’m jealous, you’re outdoing me_ or _could you help me with my own project, since you’re smarter than me_. It was the most sincere comment she’d heard in years, which was probably why Hayley could feel her face heat up. “Well, it’s not much. I’m just doing some temp work to get some data for my thesis.” Realizing that she was talking too much, she leaned forward. “So, what do you do here? Training cadets? Maintenance?”

Kelsey snorted. “I don’t have the patience for the former or the degree for the latter. I’m a Power Ranger.”

“You’re a…”

“Yep!”

And that was how Kelsey met (and embarrassed herself on front of) a real life Power Ranger.

\--

Hayley debated if she should even try to apologize even as she walked up to Kesley’s—who was also the Yellow Lightspeed Rescue Ranger—apartment. She hadn’t seemed that upset. But maybe she was just trying to laugh it off? Maybe she realized Hayley had just been shocked, so it was all right?

“Hey, Hayley.” Kelsey said as she skated past her.

“Hi, Kelsey. I mean, wait!” She was lucky that Kelsey had heard her, because there was no way she could have caught up with her. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about how I acted earlier.”

“Earlier?” Kelsey looked thoughtful. “Oh, yeah. Heh. You looked like your jaw was gonna drop off when I told ya I’m a Power Ranger.”

Hayley laughed uneasily. “So, if you’ve dealt with the demons, what are you doing now?” She’d done some checking. Everyone else had gone back to their old lives, except for Kelsey.

“I’m helping out with testing. Making sure the gear they’ve rebuilt is working.” Kelsey was skating slow circles about Hayley, as if she was sizing her up. 

“Hunh. Maybe we’ll work together at some point.”

“We could work together right now, if ya want?” And judging from the look on Kelsey’s face—hopeful and a little vulnerable—Hayley felt safe in guessing that she was asking her out.

“I know a convenience store that’s doing a buy one, get one free sale on slushies this week,” Hayley offered. “It’s not incredibly romantic, but it’s all I can afford.” Academia was rewarding, but it didn’t pay well.

“Sounds like a plan!” How Kelsey managed to drag Hayley and skate at the same time, she would never know.

\--

They were about halfway through their slushies (Hayley had blueberry, Kelsey had pineapple) that she felt brave enough to ask. “Are you enjoying your new job?”

“Whaddya mean?”

“Well, I imagine testing gear is very different from saving the world on a regular basis.”

“Yeah.” And for the first time, Kelsey genuinely frowned, and Hayley suspected that new she really did need to apologize.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cross a line.”

“No, it’s fine. I just haven’t talked about a lot.” Kelsey took a sip of her drink. “Usually I vent to Chad, but I don’t wanna bother him while he’s training to be a lifeguard.”

“I have a free evening.”

Kelsey smiled, a little. “I never really had a career before becoming a Ranger. I mean, I had a few odd jobs, but nothing that was more than that. But I was okay with that, because I was in love with adrenaline rushes.”

“But that changed when you became a Ranger.”

“I was having my adventures, but I got to help people. I got to make friends.” Kelsey’s smile had a bittersweet edge now. “So when we finally saved the world, my friends all had their old lives and goals and I had…” She kicked a rock on the pavement. “Tests.”

Hayley reached out, and when Kelsey didn’t pull away, she rubbed her date’s back with her free hand. “What you’re doing is still helping. Just with less explosions.”

“That’s true. I kind miss stuff blowing up, though.”

“Yes, but building things can be exciting as well.” Hayley put down her drink, and pulled her knees up to her chest. “I never got to explain the fine details of my thesis.”

“You’re doing stuff with Ranger mech, right?”

“With the idea that future Ranger teams using technology as their power source will benefit from them.” Hayley pretended to cough. “It’d be more testing, but there would be more results.”

“Where is it?”

“The University of Angel Grove for now, but once I get my doctorate I’m going to set up a lab at Reefside.”

“Wow,” Kelsey rubbed the back of her neck. “So we’re going from our first date to you asking me to move to your town?”

“Only if you want.”

“Oh, I’d love it! To be honest, as much as I love it here, it might be time to get a new job myself.” She gave Hayley a very interesting look. “And if I get a new girlfriend in the process, all the better.”

Hayley grinned. “Keep in mind that nothing is definite yet. We’re just speculating.”

“About the job, or us?”

“Let’s find out. Is it okay if I kiss you?”

“Please, feel free.”

Hayley did just that. “I think we’re definite at this point.”


End file.
